A speaker is a speaker – that much is true. There isn’t much you can do to the speaker itself that will change that fact. But there’s plenty you can do around the speaker – and to the signal itself – that will help tweak that sound to perfection. Hi-fi is a game of upgrades and customisation, and there’s no end to the improvements that can be made.

… and no end to the amount that you can spend, for that matter. At least, that’s probably how it feels! But don’t, there are plenty of small yet effective budget tweaks that you can make, as well as some big spending improvements> Every change makes a difference, no matter how much you spend on it. To demonstrate we’ve gathered together the top three upgrades you can make to speakers (well, around speakers!) that will make a big difference to the sound and feel of your speakers, and chosen the two polar ends of the price range – from the budget to the big.

Let’s start with…

Cables

Whether or not cables make a difference to the sound is a hotly debated topic within the hi-fi industry, but that’s not the topic of this blog. So let’s just say that yes, they do (… they really really do. We work with them every hour of every day. We know this stuff.) and here are just two of the ways that the signal can be improved with the right cable.

Budget Tweak

At a very modest £6.20 a metre, the Chord Carnival Silver Screen speaker cable which doesn’t raise eyebrows in the price department. And yet, upon its release, it scooped up rave reviews and awards galore. It has proven to be one of our most popukar speaker cables of or time (and one of Chords too!). This is a shielded cable, which utilises a ‘silver screen’ around the PVC jacket. This leads to less interference, and a smoother, cleaner sound with vastly improved dynamics. Depending on how much of it you need – this could be a very cheap way of updating your system where it counts.

Big Improvement

Starting from £3,700, this isn’t a cable that you buy on a budget. The Nordost TYR 2 may not be cheap, but it is incredibly good value for what you get. The product of a strong lineage from a cable-maker with a strong pedigree. Its construction features the likes of a Micro Mono-Filament ribbon construction. Combined with silver-plated OFC solid-core conductors and extruded, flat ribbon FEP insulation… well, what you get is really quite special. the result is the ideal electrical and mechanically controlled construction for ultra-fast, low-loss signal transfer between amplifier and loudspeakers, and a sound that is incredibly tight and balanced… but without exaggeration. If you have the budget, this is a cable that will see your speakers right.

Stands

First off, this only really applies to bookshelf speakers (unless you want to stray into plinth territory, but that’s another blog for another time). A speaker stand is less of an upgrade, and more of an essential when you’re dealing with bookshelf speakers. Despite the name (yes, we’re saying this again) you should never actually put a bookshelf speaker on a bookshelf… not if you care about your sound. And if you’re reading this, you probably do care about your sound. Speaker stands, are far more than just a piece of furniture, they act as a point of grounding for the sound, providing isolation and stability at a time when your speakers may be prone to unwanted movement from vibrations.

Budget Tweak

If you don’t have much to spend, but still want to mount your speakers on quality stands, then the Atacama Duo 7is are a great place to start looking. They come with isolation gel pads, and their mass-loaded top plate (for larger speakers) helps reduce excess ringing, and normal-sized speakers will be held comfortably with the normal plate. Stable,durable and available in 5 stunning finishes, these could be yours between £75-90 (depending on your desired finish), and will make your speakers not only look a little better, but sound a little better too,

Big Improvement

Machined from the finest stainless steel and aluminium on British soil the Track Audio 600 Precision Stands are the finest example of speaker stands that we sell – and some of the finest money can buy. At £1,180, these are also the most expensive stands we sell – but what you get for you money goes a very long way in terms of an upgrade.

We’ll let the features do the talking…

– Height adjustable stand mounts
– Ball locking finely adjustable feet
– Uniquely designed spikes
– Built in bubble spirit level
– Stands come complete with hard floor spike protectors
– Designed and Manufactured in the UK
– CNC Machined
– High specification certificated materials

Track make the simple speaker stand something less simple… and more sublime.

But it doesn’t stop there. There are ways of upgrading even the speaker stands themselves to complete the ensemble.

Spikes

They go by many names: cones, feet, shoes: but for this purpose we’ll call them spikes. Spikes serve the purpose of adding extra isolation, extra stability and the benefit of purging (ridding of excess vibrations) when they’re placed on both the base of the speaker stand (or plinth in the case of floorstanders) and the base of the speaker itself. There’s more on the science behind the humble spike here, but for now let’s go into the lows and the highs of the price options…

Budget Tweak

Good old Atacama know how to furnish your upgrade needs, without damaging your wallet. This is a simple set of carpet spikes that will serve all of the functions you need them to, for the very reasonable price of £8.99. These are designed specifically for Atacama stands, so would make a fine finishing touch to the Atacama Duo 7is if you’re heading down the budget route.

Big Improvement

And we’re back to Track again! This time for their £395 Integrated Isolation Foot Adapter Kit. This is a completely new approach to the concept of ‘spikes’ and seeing as Track are an off-shoot of a British machining company with clients in the military, aerospace, medical and automotive industries – it’s not surprising that they thought to reinvent something so seemingly straightforward. The Isolation Feet use modular screw-in inserts on the top to allow them to be used with a broad variety of components. Machined from the same high quality stainless steel as the spikes, the inserts are available in a variety of different threads. This makes for an even higher level of isolation. When coupled with the Track Audio 600 Precision Stands, this would be the improvement to end all improvements.

Now, all you need are some gorgeous bookshelf speakers to match.

So, that’s the tip of the iceberg of speaker accessories. While we may have covered the extremes at both ends, there is plenty more in between. If you’re curious about the spectrum, then give us a shout! We will fill you in on what this blog couldn’t cover. There’s plenty of it!